NFL Draft: 10 best Round 5 picks since 2000

NFL Draft: 10 best Round 5 picks since 2000

Here comes the Boom — The Legion of, to be exact. The Seahawks have a particular fondness for finding studs later in draft.

But which one of their recent gems is the NFL’s best fifth-round pick since 2000?

1Jay Ajayi, RB (No. 149 overall, 2015)

Ajayi made it all the way from the UK to Boise State, where he would have been a higher draft pick if it weren’t for injury concerns. With a little motivation in Miami, he exploded for the Dolphins down the stretch last season.

2Tyreek Hill, WR/KR (No. 165 overall, 2016)

Hill’s stock was hurt by questionable character from an ugly off-field incident and the fact he had dropped from Oklahoma State to small-school status at West Alabama. The Chiefs saw his potential to be an dynamic return man and receiver right away — and stay in line.

3Jordan Howard, RB (No. 150 overall, 2016)

The Bears were looking for their latest workhorse to keep up the tradition after moving on from Matt Forte. Howard was a pleasant rookie surprise to that end, right down the road from Indiana.

4Trent Cole, DE/OLB (No. 146 overall, 2005)

Cole was an exceptional athlete at Cincinnati. The Eagles saw how he could harness that explosiveness into highly productive edge pass rushing.

5Reshad Jones, S (No. 163 overall, 2010)

Jones, out of Alabama, has been one of the league’s most sound safeties with his work for the Dolphins.

6Josh Norman, CB (No. 143 overall, 143)

Norman wasn’t the normal pick out of Coastal Carolina. For NFL’s Carolina, he was a proud Panther in coverage before cashing in his big free-agent payday with Washington.

7Kyle Williams, DT (No. 134 overall, 2006)

He’s been the lunchpail anchor of the Bills’ defensive line for a while despite changes in schemes, fronts and personnel.

8Robert Mathis, DE/OLB (No. 138 overall, 2003)

Chances are you know him as the longtime Colts edge rusher who kept wreaking havoc to match Dwight Freeney. Indianapolis had him all the way as both an end and an outside linebacker.

9Kam Chancellor, S (No. 133 overall, 2010)

Yes, Seattle did find half of its Boom in the same round over two drafts. Chancellor developed quickly into an all-around hammer out of Virginia Tech.

10Richard Sherman, CB (No. 154 overall, 2011)

Sherman, out of Compton, Calif., and later Stanford, worked out nicely for former USC coach Pete Carroll. Carroll recognized that a Pac-12 rival corner would be great in his system.